Printing device.



J. S. DUNCAN.

PRINTING DEVICE.

APPLxoATIoN 111.1111 Nov. 2a, 1910.

1,026,254.. y Patented May 14, 1912.

30u mHoL .TaWAM ser .oaAmHa 300 MHUL :revuAM sel .uaAan-la .TnlAM ser 1 j .TBWAM ser W Q npAolHo s A" E Improvements UNITED STA'IIMIfIENT OFFICE.

JOSEPH Si DUNCAN, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS, ASSIG-NOR TO ADDRESSOGRAPH COMPANY, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS, A CORPORATION OF ILLINOIS.

PRINTING DEVICE.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Application led November l28, 1910. Serial No. 594,480.

To all whom 'it may concern Be it known that I, Josnrn S. DUNCAN. a citizenv ot the United States. residing atthicago'. in the county ot (look and State of Illinois.l have invented new and useful in Printing Devices. ot which the following is a specitication.

This invention relates to that class of printing devices which consists o f a plate having type characters .stamped in relief thereon and adapted to be stored in accordance with a card index system, or stacked in a pile. and which are run through an addressing. or other printing machine. to take an impression therefrom.

The object of this invention is to provide a printing device of this character with a detachable section preferably bearing printing characters and which can hev replaced as occasion may require it'or the purpose ot maintaining the system up to date and with a minimum of expense.

A further object of the invention is to provide a printing device of this character with a detachable section adapted to be readily engaged or disengaged therefrom and which can be read at the back as well as at the front of the device.

In the accompanying drawings I have shown the invention embodied in several `forms and referring thereto Figure 1 shows yside edge ot' the form of plate shown in Fig. 1. Fig. 4 shows the same arrangement. on a plate of the form shown in Fig. 2. Fig. 5 is a sectional view on the line of Fig. 1. Fig. (l is a similar view showing that portion which receives the detachable section depressed. Fig. T is a transverse sectional view 011 the line T-T of Fig. 1. Fig. 8 is a transverse sectional view on the line 8-8 of Fig. 2. Figs. 9 and 10 are views similar to Figs. T and 8. respectively, showing that portion ot thc plate to receive the detachable section depressed. Fig. 1l

is a longitudinal sectional view on the line4 of Fig. 3. Fig. 14 is a sectional view on the line 14-14 ot Fig. '4. Figs. 15 and 16 are views similar to Figs. 13 and 14, respectively, showing that portion ot the plate to receive the detachable section depressed.

rI`he printing device comprises a printing plate l having spacing flanges 2 on its side or end edges. The plate may be flat. as shown in Fig. 7, or it may be elevated between its side edges at 3, as shown in Fig. 8. These plates are stamped out of sheet metal and provided with printing characters constituting an address form. or any other suitable form. and are run through an addressing or other printing machine to take an impression therefrom. These devices are are generally employed by those who sendout many bills. circulars, or other printed matter regularly to the same customers, such as gas,lelectric light. and telephone companies, publishers, bankers, brokers, insurance agents, manufacturers and others. In the case ot' gas companies it is often desirable to print other information along with the address on the bill, such as the number ot' the ledger and page where the customers account is kept and the number of'his meter. .In the case of telephone companies it is often desirable to print the nu1nber ot the telephone and the rate and amount ot' the bill. Publishers generally desire to print the date ot' ,the expiration ot 'the subscription on the address of the wrapper inclosng the magazine or periodical. It also happens, with more or less frequency, in the case of gas and electric light companies particularly, that a customer may move from one place to another which makes it necessary to change his name on the printing device correspondingly. It is desirable to avoid the necessity otl making an entirely new printing devicewhen changes occur, such as those which have, been lnentioned, and others, to avoid the trouble and yexpense incident thereto, by providing means which will permit the change of only a portion of the printing device. With this end in view I provide a detachable section 4 located at the end of the printing plate as shown in l1`igs. 1 and or a detachable section 5 extending lengthwise ot the plate, as shown in Figs. 3 and l1, and these detachable sections may be placed on the printing plates so that the Patented May 14, 1912..

printing characters thereon will be in a higher plane than the printing characters on the plate, as shown in Figs. 5, 7 and 8,.

, characters thereon will lie in the same plane as the printing characters on the plate.

The detachable section may be secured to the plate in any suitable manner but I have shown a simple way of doing this which will permit vof the ready engagement of the section with the plate and disengagement therefrom and which embodies no loose parts. The detachable section is provided with projections 7 at opposite edges, preferably at top and bottom edges, which have depressed portions 8 adapted tol engage lips 9 struck up fromy the plate. The lips 9 project in one direction andthe depressed portions S' project in the opposite direction so that by sliding the section lengthwise -on the plate the depressed portions 8 may be engaged beneath the lips 9 until the shoul! dersl() on thel projections 7 engage the lips -9. This engagement of the projections on the section and the lips on the plate will re-l tain theA section in proper position on the fes plate but to lock the section on the plate I prefer to provide a tongue 1l on the section preferably on one edge thereof between the projections 7 and adapted to engage an opening l2 in the plate. After the section has been arranged in position on the plate the tongue 11 ca n be pressed downward by any suitable instrument to engage the opening 12 and it will then lock the section on j the plate. -To detach the section the tongue can be lifted up from engagement with the opening 12 by applying an instrument to the underside of the tongue and then the section can be slid lengthwise of the plate out of engagement with the projections.

It is desirable to read, from the back of the printing device, the printing` form on the detachable section, and therefore I provide one or more openings in that part of the plate located beneath the detachable `section. In Figs. l and 2 I have shown the plate with openings 13, and in Figs. 3 land 4 I have shown the plate with a singleY opening 14, these openings being of sufficient size to enable the reading of the type form on the removable section from the back of the printing device. These openings do not ma- "machines it is desirable tohave the faces of the type characters on the detachable section lie in the same plane as the faces ot' the printing characters on the plate and this is readily accomplished by depressing the` plate at 6 to receive the section, as shown in Fig. 6 and elsewhere. A

rlfhe value and importance of my invention in maintaining a system of printing addresses of thisv general character at a minimum cost will be readily understood. If the account is transferred to another ledger or page the detachable section shown in Fig. l would be changed, or if the subscription is renewed the detachable section shown vin Fig. 2 would be changed. The same information may be provided on the detachable sections shown in Figs. 3 andt but I have shown these sections provided with the form of a name to indicate another advantage of the invention. If-the customer of a gas or electric light company moves from one location to another the `detachable section bearing his name may be transferred to another plate bearing the new address number, and the old plate kept for the newoccupant of the premises indicated by the address thereon. In this way the necessity of making new plates or new sections is avoided" because the sections bearing the names can be changed from one plate to another as ,the parties change their location. As the sec-l tions 5 are of considerable length a greater number of interengaging projections, lips and tongues may be provided therefor than is necessary in the short sections 4.

These printing devices are readily made and the detachable sections can be easily and quickly applied to the plates or detached therefrom as occasion requires. The sections are engaged `with the plates in a manner which will not interfere with the regular. op-4 eration of the addressing or printing machine and it 4will be understood that the sections can be arranged on the plates in the positions illustrated, or in any otherl desired position.

Vhat I claimand desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

l. A printing plate having a type form stamped in relief upon the front thereof and provided with an opening at one side of the type form, and a detachableprinting plate upon the front of the main plate extending across the opening and provided with printing characters stamped in relief thereon and exposed to view atr the back of the main plate through the opening, substantially as described.

2. A printing plate having a. type forni stamped in relief upon the front thereof and 'provided with an opening at one side of the forni, lips struck up from the front rof theplate at opposite sides of thevopening,

and a detachable printing plate upon the front oi; thelmain plate extending across the Aopening and provided. with projections engaging heneath the lips `to hold the detachable plate in place, said detachable plate having printin characters stamped in relief thereon an e osed to view at the back of the main plate t rough the opening, substantially as described.

3. A printing plate having a ty e form stamped in relief thereon and providbd vt th an openin at one side of the printing forni, lips struc up from the plate at opposite sides of the opening, a detachable prlnting plate .extending across the openin and havmg projections engaging beneat Y the lips, sald detachable plate having printing characiers stamped in relief thereon and exposed to view throu h the opening, and means carried by one o the plates and engaging the other plate to lock the detachable plate, substantially as described.

4. A printing plate having a ty e fornik stamped in relief thereon and rovi ed with an opening at one side of t e form, lips struck up from the plate at opposite sides of the opening, a detachable Vprintin plate extending across the opening and aving projections engaging beneath the lips an provided with a locking tongue, the main plate having a seat to receive the tongue and lock the detachable plate in place, said detachable plate having printing characters stamped in relief thereon and exposed to view through the opening, substantially as described.

5. A printing plate having a printing form stamped 1n relief thereon and provided with a depression located at one side of the printing form, lips struck up from the plate at opposite sides of the depression, and a detachable printing plate fitted in the depression and provide with projections engaging beneath the tongues, said detachab e p ate having printin characters stamped in relief thereon, an the back of the depression having an opening to expose the printing characters of the detachable plate, substantially as described.

JOSEPH S. DUNCAN.

Witnesses:

WM. O. BELT, M. A. Knmns.` 

